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Bar Manager Refused to Pay Us! Now what?

#221
Skarekrough said:
The amusing part I'm finding in all of this is that as were losing more and more venues to DJ's and Karaoke we can't take an entitled stance towards what we have; we HAVE to work to keep live music in venues around.

Yeah, it's going to mean putting up with some things we would rather not now and again, but there's a greater good. Reasoning with a bar manager isn't always the easiest thing to do but if all the patrons are telling him that they can't hear the band and they're leaving then they'll get the point.

....and any guitar player that shows up with a 100 watt non-Master Volume head has to play through a POD direct into the PA the whole night.
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That's the funny thing about this... clueless musicians taking themselves out of the running for gigs. No doubt the competition appreciates it.
:cool:
 
#222
I'm with a few of the others here. The manager told you to turn down two songs into the set. Then he told you again. By your own story the bar was clearing out because of how loud you were playing (and then starting filling in again when you weren't).

I wouldn't have paid you either. Fire the drummer and move on dude.
 
#223
Thought just occurs to me...

Has the OP ever tried mic'ing the drums?

We mic everything. I mean *everything*. The drums. The rigs.

Also, we have stacks of mains, instead of just one main per side. One on each side for lows, one on each side for highs.

This all makes it *very* much simpler to control our volume. We can fill a bar with music, and be "loud", but people can carry a conversation right in front of our stage with no problem.

Some people just cannot be pleased, but if you mic your stuff, you will have far fewer problems.

Cherie
 
#224
Your most effective incentive to getting paid is this: Making sure the bar wants you back.

Having a contract is a distant second. Has anyone ever actually sued a bar for a couple hundred bucks? I've never heard of it.

They'll always pay you tonight if they want you back later.

Sometimes you get asked to turn down to ridiculously quiet volumes. That's part of the job. Learn to do it, it happens more often than you think. You have to be able to play well quiet.

Randy
 
#225
did you sound check the room before the gig and adjust accordingly ? you say the drummer is a self taught beater...loud, and real loud, put some pillows or blankets inside his drums to dampen him. really it is not professional to be unable to adjust to the venue and clients request.that type of unprofessional behavior sounds more like a wannabe garage band than a group of paid professionals .IMO
 
#226
Reasonable volume noted:
 

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#227
I agree with a lot of the posters. Although getting stiffed bites they did ask you to turn down a number of times and you were unable to due to a loud drummer. So besides getting stiffed you lost a venue to play, got a reputation as a too loud and uncooperative band, and may have made things harder for other bands playing similar music to get a gig there.

One of my pet peeves is playing with people that will only play loud. Unfortunately there are too many of them out there. Either get your drummer to practice playing softly until he can do it or replace him if he can't or won't.

My 2 ¢
 
#228
Even if you have a case, you have to make a decision.

Will you win the battle and lose the war?

Can you afford to burn that bridge worse than it's already burned?

If the answer to both question is "yes", then go for it. Chances are, the answer is "it's not worth dying on this particular hill". Learn and move on.
 
#229
legal action is VERY expensive and time consuming. not worth it for such a small amount of money. call this a lesson learned. tell the drummer to buy some hotrods, he wont be so loud playing with them instead of sticks.

know your venue, play to the audience. start quiet and get louder as the night goes on. best advice noone ever gave me....
 
#230
I just don't get how one gets a gig and when the person that's paying asks for something you don't do what they want. That's bizarre to me but it happens often.

Some bands believe they need to be loud to be effective or they believe that they need to drown out any sound in the room so people pay attention. If people are interested in what you're playing the will get quiet and listen.

A bar gig, a corporate gig, a coffee shop gig are way different from a gig where people come for the specific purpose of hearing live but even then a band can be too loud.
 
#233
Sounds like you guys haven't been doing this for very long. Nevertheless, you should get paid something. No lawyer is going to sue for that little amount of cash, unless it's your dad or uncle or someone like that. Probably the safest thing is just to consider it a lesson. In the future, consider this: any drummer who can't adjust his volume to whatever circumstances you encounter is an amatuer & an unskilled one at that. Also, if you are playing for a set amount you could demand C.I.A (cash in advance) before getting on the stage. None of this will help you if you suck.
 

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